The rise of social media and content marketing has inspired renewed interest in amassing greater social influence. And with it, a loyal following. The Holy Grail of social networking is to be viewed as an authoritative, influential expert by your followers. This is not unique to the online world. Influence has always been the entry […]
Social influence: 4 tips for building a loyal following from a guy who blew it
Your hidden source of unstoppable influence
In the excellent book The Five Levels of Leadership John Maxwell says, “Too often leaders place a higher value on impressing others than on having integrity with them.” This brings to mind a story. There was a vice president of field sales in a large corporation who was in a perpetual turf war with marketing. He criticized […]
The science behind word-of-mouth that ignites customer referrals [Infographic]
People will talk. What they say about your brand on social media has a direct impact on your bottom line. In fact, word-of-mouth is still the most influential factor in driving purchase decisions. Consider these findings: A Neilson study found 92 percent of people trust recommendations from friends more than all other forms of marketing. […]
The influence of the servant
Every now and then I encounter a compelling example of a great servant-leader. It happened again recently. This year I attended a retirement party for 10 former colleagues I had worked with for many years. As you might imagine, it was a bittersweet event. It was also a classy sendoff sponsored by the management team. […]